


Aftermath

by Norsewitch



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2013-02-22
Packaged: 2017-12-03 06:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norsewitch/pseuds/Norsewitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the day after Edmund's abduction attempt. Caspian helps him to deal with what happened. Companion story to 'When Duty Prevails'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Aftermath**

The day after Edmund’s abduction attempt, was a quiet one in the palace of Cair Paravel. The Narnian court was still suffering from the aftermath of the dramatic happenings the previous day, and King Caspian, who had cancelled all his meetings for the day, had ordered peace throughout the palace. He would not let anything or anyone disturb Prince Edmund, who needed rest.

The only sound that broke the silence in the King’s bedchamber, was the scratching Caspian’s quill made against the parchment. The King would sometimes look up from his writing to cast a worried glance over at the bed and his sleeping husband. Edmund had yet to wake up, he was most likely still very exhausted after the horrible ordeal he had gone through, Caspian thought. He still did not know the exact facts regarding the failed kidnapping attempt against his young husband, and that made the King worry even more. He hated to think that Edmund had been mistreated.

Caspian rubbed his tired eyes, rolled the parchment into a scroll and sealed it. As he stood up from his desk, he stretched and yawned; the sleepless night he had spent was starting to catch up with him. He quietly left the bedchamber after casting another look at Edmund, who still was dead to the world. Caspian did not want to leave Edmund alone for too long, but he had to deliver a couple of messages to his advisors.

\---

Like he expected, Caspian found Rynelf and Trumpkin in the antechamber to his private study. Rynelf was sitting at the huge meeting table, a stack of books and papers in front of him, his brows knitted in concentration. Trumpkin was sat at the other side of the table, studying contracts. They both leaped out of their chairs when Caspian walked in.

“Your Majesty,” Trumpkin said and bowed to Caspian. “We did not expect you to come in today after the message you sent out earlier. I hope your peace has not been disturbed?”

“Not at all, dear Trumpkin,” Caspian said with a smile. “I just have a couple of messages I need delivered. One is for General Suncloud, telling him to proceed with the interrogation of the three Tarkaans. The other is for the Calormene ambassador, summoning him to a meeting tomorrow afternoon. I think we will have more information about the kidnapping incident later today, after the culprits have been questioned, and after I’ve talked to Prince Edmund. He was exhausted last night, I did not want to bother him with questions.”

“I can deliver the messages, Your Majesty,” Rynelf said. Caspian handed him the scrolls with a smile and a thank you.

“How is Prince Edmund doing, sire?” Trumpkin asked with concern.

“To be honest, I don’t really know, because he hasn’t been awake yet today,” Caspian answered with a frown. “The Healers came in to check up on him earlier, but they were reluctant to disturb his rest. He did have a drop of the Healing Cordial last night, and that took care of his concussion and broken ribs, so he’s not seriously injured anymore after all, just cuts and bruises. However, he was very cold when he was brought in, and they fear he’ll catch pneumonia if he’s up and about again too soon, so they have ordered a full week’s bedrest.”

“Knowing Prince Edmund, sire, he’s going to love that order in a few days,” Rynelf said with a wink at Caspian. Caspian chuckled.

“Oh, I know. Keeping him in bed once he regains his energy is going to be a struggle,” Caspian said with a laugh. “But I should get back to him now and wake him up. I’ve asked the servants to bring up a late breakfast, and draw him a hot bath. He needs to eat something, as far as I know he hasn’t eaten since early yesterday morning, before he rode out with Rhince.”

“Give him our best, Your Majesty. And we shall look after matters here for you today. Would it be okay if we sent out a message to the people, informing them that Prince Edmund will be fine?” Rynelf asked.

“Good idea, I had not thought about that yet, you do that,” Caspian said, nodding his approval. “I will meet with you again here tomorrow morning, then we can make plans for our further procedures and prepare for the meeting with the Calormene ambassador. I apologise for being absent most of today, but Edmund’s welfare is my first priority.”

“It is as it should be, sire,” Trumpkin said reassuringly. “Prince Edmund comes first, we understand that. Besides, it isn’t much we can do until we have more information about the matter.”

“I find it very odd, that these Tarkaans should have taken it upon themselves to commit a crime like this, against a member of the Narnian royal family. They have to have known that if they were caught they would face a possible execution. The order must have come from someone high up in the Calormene hierarchy. The Tisroc himself, however, has only ever seemed friendly towards Narnia, so the whole matter is incomprehensible,” Rynelf said and shook his head in bewilderment.

“I agree, it is all very strange indeed,” Caspian said as he made to leave. Then his eyes glinted with anger, “I do have my suspicions though, but I shall keep them to myself until they are confirmed. But I will say this, the one responsible is going to wish he was never born once I’m finished with him, and that is a promise.”

Trumpkin and Rynelf bowed to their King as he left the chamber, both knowing King Caspian good enough to know that it had not been an empty threat. Going after Prince Edmund had probably been the surest way to turn the Narnian King into a very powerful and formidable enemy.

\---

When Caspian returned to the bedchamber, he found Edmund still fast asleep. He had turned over on to his side and pushed the bedcovers down to his waist, so obviously he was not freezing anymore, Caspian thought with relief - until he noticed Edmund’s arm.

The sleeve of Edmund’s nightshirt had ridden up and was now bundled up under his armpit. Caspian gasped with shock when he saw Edmund’s bare arm; it was covered in black and blue bruises. Edmund’s fair skin made the bruises stand out, and combined with his wrists, who were currently heavily bandaged, it was visible proof that Edmund had been very roughly treated the day before. Caspian was overcome by a wild feeling of fury. He took a few breaths to control himself, it would not do to have an angry outburst now, the last thing he wanted to do was to scare Edmund. Then he heard a soft knock on the door.

It was the maid with a tray of food. She curtsied to Caspian as she set down the tray on a small dining table that was placed in front of a large window in the bedchamber. When Caspian and Edmund shared a private meal, they would often sit and enjoy the beautiful view over their garden, as well as their food and a conversation.

“The bath should be ready in about an hour, Your Majesty,” the maid said and curtsied again.

“Good, then he’ll have time to eat first. Thank you,” Caspian said with a smile and a nod, dismissing the maid. After she had left, Caspian sat down on the bed next to Edmund and gently stroked his hair, attempting to wake him up as carefully as possible.

“Ed, wake up, love,” Caspian whispered softly and kissed Edmund’s cheek, smiling when Edmund slowly started to stir. He looked up at Caspian with heavy lidded eyes.

“Morning, Cas,” Edmund said, his voice raspy. He attempted to clear his throat, but it was so dry that it did not do much good. Caspian handed him a glass of water and Edmund emptied it, giving Caspian a grateful look. “What time is it?”

“It’s past noon, and high time you ate something. Then you can have a hot bath and I’ll replace the bandages around your wrists. Then I’ll tuck you back into bed. You need lots of rest, a whole week of it according to your Healers.” Caspian gave Edmund a light kiss on the lips and helped him up into a sitting position on the side of the bed, then fetched him a robe.

“A whole week? Really?” Edmund groaned as he pulled on his robe, “Ow, I feel sore and stiff all over, but I _am_ hungry, starving in fact.”

“Yes, a whole week, as in seven days, and that’s final. And it’s no wonder you’re starving, you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. I should have made you eat last night before you went to sleep, but you were so exhausted,” Caspian said and steadied Edmund around his waist as he stood up, he noticed Edmund wincing in pain as he moved slowly forward. The Cordial cured life threatening and severe injuries, but it did not do much against shallow cuts, bruises and general achiness.

“This looks delicious,” Edmund said as he sat down at the dining table, eyeing all the food. There were scrambled eggs with crispy bacon, toast, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, pancakes with syrup, orange juice and a steaming pot of tea. He immediately started to load food on to a plate, stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth in the process.

“Don’t eat too fast, you’ll make yourself sick,” Caspian warned and sat down in the chair on the side of the table. “Put your feet up in my lap, I don’t want them to become cold.”

Edmund obediently put his feet up in his husband’s lap, and Caspian covered them with a thick blanket he had brought from the bed. Then they just sat in comfortable silence while Edmund ate his food, obviously restraining himself from not eating too fast. Caspian had eaten earlier, but he occasionally nicked a slice of bacon or a pancake from Edmund’s plate, while he gently rubbed his husband’s feet.

“I don’t think I could eat another bite, but it was really good,” Edmund said, after having eaten almost all the food on the tray. He sat back with a content sigh and sipped at his hot tea, looking outside the window at the snow still falling down heavily. Caspian noticed Edmund falling into deep thought, then shuddering.

“Are you cold?” Caspian asked, worried. “They should have your bath ready soon, the hot water will help against any lingering coldness, and hopefully against the pain in your joints and muscles too.”

“I’m not cold exactly, I’m just glad I’m not outside in the blizzard anymore, with those men...” Edmund’s voice trailed off and he took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly shining with unshed tears.

“Hey, come here,” Caspian said and urged Edmund over into his lap. He put his arms around Edmund and gently rubbed his back, wary of all the bruises he suspected were there. “You went through a traumatic ordeal yesterday, Ed, I think it’s catching up with you. It’s okay though, I’m here and I won’t be going anywhere. Just rest here a bit, okay?”

“Thank you,” Edmund whispered and put his head on Caspian’s shoulder. Caspian tightened his arms around him momentarily before he let one of his hands slide up to rest heavily on Edmund’s neck, his thumb drawing soothing circles on his skin. Caspian knew this was a caress Edmund enjoyed, and he felt him relax against Caspian’s body. They did not speak again for a while, Caspian sensed that Edmund needed to just be held and loved right then, not questioned or hurried.

“Better?” Caspian asked after a while, looking searchingly for more signs of distress in Edmund’s face.

“Yes, much better. Sorry about that,” Edmund said a bit sheepishly. He leaned forwards and gave Caspian a soft kiss. “I love you, Cas.”

“I love you too, Ed. And don’t apologise, it’s perfectly okay.” Caspian lifted Edmund’s chin and kissed him again, savouring the taste of Edmund’s lips that were still sweet from the syrup.

One kiss turned into many, and Caspian marvelled at the simple beauty of it. He could not remember when they had last been sitting like this and just kissing, with neither of them having any intentions of taking it further. It reminded Caspian of the first time they had spent together as a couple on the _Dawn_ _Treader_ all those years ago, when all they did when they found some time alone together was kissing. The sexual part had come later, and while it had moved their relationship forwards, they had perhaps in time forgotten about the wonders of kissing.

Edmund smiled when Caspian mentioned this to him.

“Perhaps we should do it more often then,” he teased and gave Caspian another light kiss. “But I should probably go and take that bath now, while the water is still hot.”

\---

When Caspian helped Edmund to undress for his bath, he received another nasty shock. Most of Edmund’s upper body, especially his arms and back, were covered in ugly black, blue and purple bruises. When he removed the bandages from Edmund’s wrists, there were even more, and also some shallow cuts.

Caspian took in the sight of Edmund’s naked and battered body, and again the feeling of absolute fury washed over him.

“I’m going to kill them!” he seethed under his breath. But the look of horror on Edmund’s face when he saw his own body in the full length mirror in their bathroom, made Caspian pull himself together; Edmund did not need Caspian’s anger right now.

Edmund’s fingertips hesitantly traced a few of the worst bruises on his arms, like he was trying to figure out if they were really there.

“I look absolutely ghastly!” Edmund exclaimed, tears of anger and shame threatening to spill over. “Please leave, Caspian. I don’t want you to see me like this. Go!”

“Shh, Edmund. Don’t do this to yourself,” Caspian pulled Edmund into his arms from behind. He looked up in the mirror so he could see Edmund’s face. “They’re just cuts and bruises, love, they will fade and disappear. What matters is that I have you back, in one piece, safe and sound. You’re still as beautiful to me as ever.”

“How can you say that? I look like something out of a nightmare,” Edmund said with despair and squirmed in Caspian’s arms.

“I can say it because it’s true. Be still and look at me and tell me that I’m lying to you, Ed,” Caspian said softly. As Edmund’s eyes met his in the mirror, Caspian gently started to trace each bruise with the softest touch of his fingers, like they were the most wondrous things he had ever seen, making sure Edmund knew that it really did not matter, not one bit. When he reached two light twin bruises on Edmund’s hips, he frowned a bit.

“I’m afraid I cannot blame anyone but myself for these. I think we got a bit carried away the other night. I’ll take more care not to leave marks in the future, love,” Caspian said anxiously.

“Did you hear me complain at the time?” Edmund asked. Having gotten his feelings back under control, he extracted himself from Caspian’s arms and climbed into the bathtub, sighing in relief when he settled in the hot water. “We often get carried away during sex, Cas, and it’s unbelievably fun, so don’t turn into a big sap on me and go and ruin it.”

Caspian looked at Edmund in disbelief for a second, then he burst out laughing. Trust his younger husband to clarify the situation with one incredibly perceptive sentence.

“Okay then,” Caspian said and gave Edmund a kiss on the nose, which made Edmund squint indignantly up at him, Caspian laughed again and rolled up his shirt sleeves. “Wet your hair, Ed, and I’ll wash it for you.”

Edmund ducked his head under water while Caspian lathered his hands up with soap that smelled heavenly of lavender. When Edmund resurfaced, Caspian gently added the soap into his hair, making sure to massage it in thoroughly. Edmund closed his eyes in bliss and let Caspian continue with his ministrations.

“All done, I think,” Caspian said after a while. He picked up a jug with fresh warmed water and poured it little by little over Edmund’s head, rinsing out the soap. Then he picked up a soft washcloth and gently started to wash Edmund’s body, working his way up from his toes to his neck, taking care not to put too much pressure on the painful bruises.

“Thanks,” Edmund said with a grateful smile. “You’re really good at that, maybe you should quit your work and just do this for a living instead.”

“Ah, but you get my special treatment you see, my cheeky Prince,” Caspian teased back, “now bend forwards a bit and lean on my left arm, so I can wash your back. And tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“Okay.” Edmund rested his head on Caspian’s arm while Caspian started to carefully wash the bruised back. In this position, not having to look Caspian in the face, Edmund finally started to talk.

He told Caspian how he had tried with all his might to fight off the Tarkaans the day before, how they had hit him, tied him up and manhandled him into submission. He talked about how they had leered at him and told him how their master would reward them for bringing him back what would be the very jewel of his harem. And if they had not been ordered to bring him back unspoiled, how they would have loved to have a taste themselves. All done in order to terrify him, no doubt.

“I did everything I could to stall them, hoping that Rhince had been able to raise the alarm. In the end they had to stop and look for shelter, because the blizzard became steadily worse,” Edmund said quietly and took a deep breath. Caspian did not speak, he just kept washing Edmund’s back, sensing that this was hard enough for Edmund without being interrupted.

“When they dismounted from their horses, I tried to make a run for it before they could pull me off the horse, but one of them managed to get hold of the reins and I was dragged down. One of them kicked me hard in the back, then they slammed me up against a tree and tied me to it. I tried so hard to escape, everything I could, Caspian. But I was in a lot of pain, and so incredibly cold. I was starting to worry more about freezing to death rather than being taken away…”

Edmund drew a shaky breath again, burying his head in Caspian’s shoulder. During Edmund’s tale, Caspian became gradually more aware of just how much danger Edmund had been in the day before, and how badly he had been treated in the hands of the Tarkaans. He carefully traced a particularly ugly bruise on Edmund’s back with the washcloth, guessing that it was the bruise Edmund had received from the kicking. Anger such as he had never felt before surged through him. How _dared_ they hurt Edmund like that? Caspian would be very hard pressed not to send the Tarkaans to the scaffold for this. Again he willed himself to stay calm, for Edmund’s sake.

“I realised that escape was impossible, and that my only hope was to be rescued. I thought about you so much during the hours I was held captive, I knew you would do everything to find me, blizzard be damned, and that was the hope I clung to,” Edmund whispered and shuddered, despite the hot water.

“I would not have rested until I had you safely back, Ed, not for one minute,” Caspian whispered and pressed a reassuring kiss to Edmund’s temple.

“I know you wouldn’t, Cas,” Edmund said, and gave Caspian’s shoulder a soft kiss. “Anyway, imagine my relief when I heard the Wolves’ howling. The lights from the huge Beasts’ eyes steadily surrounded us, and the Tarkaans panicked. They decided to try to outride them, so they cut me loose from the tree and one of them hauled me up on his horse. Then the horses ran off, almost blinded with fear, the Tarkaans didn’t have any control over them anymore. I knew then that I was in a deadly situation, because the area has many steep cliffs and it was impossible to see them in the blizzard. I managed to elbow the Tarkaan behind me in the stomach, which forced him to let up the grip he had on me. Then I let myself slide down from the horseback. I must’ve hit my head in the fall, because everything went black. I don’t remember anything more until I woke up in our bed last night.”

“You went through hell yesterday, Ed, it was worse than I had imagined,” Caspian said. He gently lifted Edmund’s face and gave him a light kiss. “I thank you for finding the courage to tell me all this, and I will not bother you with more questions about it now, except one. Who ordered your abduction? Did they say?”

“No. They were very careful not to mention his name, they just called him their master,” Edmund said. He steadied himself on Caspian when he stepped a bit shakily out of the bathtub. Caspian immediately wrapped Edmund up in a huge, soft towel and started to dry him. His movements were gentle, slow and sensual, but not in the least bit sexual.

“Well, we will know soon enough. I’m sure at least one of the Tarkaans will crack under General Suncloud’s interrogations,” Caspian said. He helped Edmund into a pair of underpants and fetched a clean nightshirt which he slipped over his head.

“This is too big,” Edmund said and pulled up the shirt sleeves a bit. “I think you gave me one of yours.”

“Ah, looks like you’re right. Well, you can wear it for now, you’re only going to bed after all,” Caspian said with a wink, making Edmund blush. Sometimes, particularly when Edmund was upset or sad, he would privately find comfort in wearing Caspian’s shirts or robes, and Caspian dutifully pretended not to notice. Secretly, he found it to be one of Edmund’s most adorable qualities.

\---

When they returned to their bedchamber, Caspian helped Edmund back into bed. The sheets had been changed while they had been in the bathroom, and a fire had been lit in the fireplace, casting the room in a cosy, warm glow. It made a very nice contrast to the blizzard still going on outside.

Caspian found new bandages on the bedside table. He gently wrapped them around Edmund’s wrists, taking care to give each wrist a kiss after he was finished. Edmund yawned and settled against the soft pillows, blinking up at Caspian.

“Thank you for taking care of me today, Cas,” Edmund said gratefully. He lifted his hand and cupped Caspian’s cheek. “I’m sorry for being such a mess,” he added in a small voice.

“Don’t ever thank me for being the husband you need me to be, Ed,” Caspian said firmly and kissed Edmund’s hand. “You needed me to take care of you today, almost as much as I needed to care for you. And you’re not a mess. You just had a very natural and healthy reaction to a traumatic incident, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I guess you’re right, but thank you for saying it,” Edmund said gratefully. Then he looked closely at Caspian, concern in his eyes. “You look awfully tired. Didn’t you sleep well last night?” Edmund tugged on Caspian’s neck, urging him to lie down next to him on the bed.

“No, I found it hard to fall asleep, I had too many thoughts whirling inside my head I guess,” Caspian answered with a yawn. He laid down next to Edmund and wrapped his arm around his waist. “Now get some rest, love, I’ll be right here.”

“Okay, but promise me that you’ll rest too?” Edmund whispered, his eyes already falling shut.

“I promise,” Caspian said, finally letting sleep claim him.

The King’s last conscious thought was the repeat of his silent vow the night before; nobody would ever get the chance to hurt Edmund again.

 

THE END

 


End file.
